2023-06-23 09:59:19
Víctor Martínez was one of the best Venezuelan players of his generation. During his 16-year career, the slugger went on to become one of the toughest outs in the league.
It’s not for nothing that he’s received MVP votes seven times, including a second-place finish in 2014, when he was second only to Mike Trout in the American League.
However, even a player like Martínez, summoned to five All-Star Games and winner of two Silver Sluggers, sometimes had to deal with offensive potholes that were difficult to overcome. Those that manage to insert themselves into the minds of the players.
Now, as a special assistant to the Toronto Blue Jays, Martinez is determined to help players overcome that kind of slumpseven beyond the borders of his new team.
Recently, the Cardinals catcher, Willson Contreras, also a Venezuelan, confessed to having sustained a phone call of more than three hours with Víctor Martínez. They talked regarding how to help Willson get out of the “worst moment of his career” and on the importance of restoring trust.
“Willson is like a brother to me,” Martinez said. “Maybe he even feels like a dad to me. He is a young and hardworking boy like no other. We had a conversation regarding slumps. I think I can write a book regarding that. It was bad for me from day one. What I told him was that he had to thank God because he is living this slump in [su octavo] year in the big leagues. That is hard. That speaks to how good it is.”
Contreras is in his first year with the Cardinals, a team he joined last winter on a five-year, $87.5 million contract. However, the Venezuelan catcher – like the entire San Luis team – He has not been able to lift so far this year. The Cardenales saw Contreras at the time as the ideal candidate to replace Yadier Molina at the position, while improving the offensive production of the catcher.
Contreras is hitting just .207/.298/.364 with a .662 OPS in his 68 games this season – each of those categories would be career lows.
“Víctor Martínez is like a second father to me. He is one of the people who have helped me throughout my entire major league career,” Contreras said last week. “He only said nice things regarding me, and he really lifted my spirits.”
And sometimes it comes to that. Technical adjustments go up to a certain point. From there, the mental aspect can make the difference between continuing in the rut or getting out of it.
That appears to be the case for Contreras, who is averaging a 91 mph exit velocity in 2023, more than his career average of 89.5 mph. In addition, he is giving ‘pots’ with a rate of 10.4%, also above the average that he has had in his career of 9.6%. That is, the receiver is hitting the ball well, but he is not getting the spaces on the field.
Hence his frustration. But it is in those moments when the words of people who have gone through this type of situation can be decisive.
“I never had someone with experience sit next to me and tell me: ‘Look, don’t worry, everything will be fine, keep working,’” Martínez confessed. “It’s hard; You have to have a lot of mental strength. You have to keep working. Eventually, the game will bring it back to you.”
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